Apparatuses including utility meter, power electronics, and communications circuitry, and related methods of operation

ABSTRACT

Apparatuses including utility meter, power electronics, and communications circuitry are provided. The utility meter circuitry is configured to measure usage of electricity supplied by an electric utility to a premise of a customer of the electric utility. The power electronics circuitry is configured to regulate a voltage level supplied to the premise of the customer. Moreover, the communications circuitry is configured to provide communications with a first electronic device of the customer at the premise of the customer and to provide communications with a second electronic device that is upstream from the apparatus. Related methods of operating an apparatus including utility meter, power electronics, and communications circuitry are also provided.

CLAIM OF PRIORITY

The present application is a continuation application of and claimspriority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/870,126, filed Sep. 30,2015, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationNo. 62/077,675, filed Nov. 10, 2014, the disclosures of which are herebyincorporated herein in their entirety by reference.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to utility meters and power electronics.

BACKGROUND

An electric utility may measure electricity usage of a customer via autility meter that is adjacent the customer's premise. For example, themeter may be on the outside of the customer's home or business. Manuallyreading data at the physical location of the meter, however, may beinefficient and untimely. Moreover, although an electric utilitysubstation may adjust power levels that it provides to a group ofcustomers, such adjustments may be imprecise with respect to the needsof individual customers within the broader group.

SUMMARY

It should be appreciated that this Summary is provided to introduce aselection of concepts in a simplified form, the concepts being furtherdescribed below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is notintended to identify key features or essential features of thisdisclosure, nor is it intended to limit the scope of the presentinventive concepts.

Various embodiments of the present inventive concepts include anapparatus including electric utility meter circuitry, power electronicscircuitry, and communications circuitry. The electric utility metercircuitry may be configured to measure usage of electricity supplied byan electric utility to a premise of a customer of the electric utility.The power electronics circuitry may be configured to regulate a voltagelevel supplied to the premise of the customer. Moreover, thecommunications circuitry may be configured to provide communicationswith a first electronic device of the customer at the premise of thecustomer and to provide communications with a second electronic devicethat is upstream from the apparatus (e.g., spaced apart from the premiseof the customer and connected to an electric grid or adjacent anelectric grid device or transformer that is connected to the electricgrid).

According to various embodiments, the voltage level that the powerelectronics circuitry is configured to regulate may be 600 Volts orlower. In some embodiments, the voltage level that the power electronicscircuitry is configured to regulate may be 120 Volts and/or 240 Volts.Moreover, the electric utility meter circuitry may be configured tooperate with a load from the premise of the customer that is between 0Volt-Amperes and 15,000 Volt-Amperes.

In various embodiments, the power electronics circuitry may include aDirect Current (DC) bus configured to interface with a DC load and/or aDC power source at the premise of the customer. In some embodiments, thepower electronics circuitry may include power inverter circuitry that isconfigured to convert DC power received from the DC power source via theDC bus into Alternating Current (AC) power. Moreover, the DC bus mayinclude a 400-Volt or higher DC input port. In some embodiments, the DCbus may include a DC output port of a 400-Volt or higher DC power sourcethat is configured to provide DC power to the DC load. Moreover, thepower electronics circuitry may include power inverter circuitry that isconfigured to convert Alternating Current (AC) power into DC power forthe DC output port.

According to various embodiments, the communications circuitry mayinclude a first communications interface configured to provide firstcommunications with the first electronic device of the customer, and asecond communications interface configured to provide secondcommunications with the second electronic device that is upstream fromthe apparatus (e.g., spaced apart from the premise of the customer andconnected to the electric grid or adjacent the electric grid device thatis connected to the electric grid).

In various embodiments, the apparatus may be at the premise of thecustomer and spaced apart from (e.g., downstream from) a substation ofthe electric utility. The power electronics circuitry may be configuredto regulate Volt-Amperes Reactive (VARs) provided to the premise of thecustomer. Moreover, the power electronics circuitry may be configured toadjust the voltage level by up to +/−10% and to adjust the VARs by up to+/−5%. In some embodiments, the power electronics circuitry may beconfigured to adjust the voltage level and the VARs for the premise ofthe customer independently of adjustments for any other premise of anyother customer of the electric utility. In some embodiments, theapparatus may be spaced apart from (e.g., downstream from) adistribution transformer that serves the premise of the customer, andthe power electronics circuitry may be configured to automatically holdthe voltage level constant as long as the voltage level is within up to+/−10% of an incoming voltage from the distribution transformer.Alternatively, the power electronics circuitry may be configured to holdthe voltage level within a predetermined voltage range. In someembodiments, the voltage level may be derived from a user input that isprovided to the apparatus remotely via the communications circuitry.Moreover, in some embodiments, the apparatus is spaced apart from acircuit breaker box.

According to various embodiments, the apparatus may include bypasscircuitry that is configured to bypass the power electronics circuitryand the communications circuitry. Moreover, the apparatus may beconfigured to connect between a utility secondary service of theelectric utility and a wiring connection of the customer at the premise.

A method of operating an apparatus connected between a utility secondaryservice of an electric utility and a wiring connection of a customer ata premise of the customer, according to various embodiments, may beprovided. The method may include measuring, using electric utility metercircuitry of the apparatus, usage of electricity supplied by theelectric utility to the premise of the customer of the electric utility.The method may include regulating, using power electronics circuitry ofthe apparatus, a voltage level supplied to the premise of the customer.Moreover, the method may include providing communications, usingcommunications circuitry of the apparatus, with a first electronicdevice of the customer at the premise of the customer and with a secondelectronic device that is upstream from the apparatus (e.g., spacedapart from the premise of the customer and connected to an electric gridor adjacent an electric grid device or transformer that is connected tothe electric grid).

According to various embodiments, providing the communications mayinclude providing first communications, via a first communicationsinterface, with the first electronic device of the customer; andproviding second communications, via a second communications interface,with the second electronic device that is upstream from the apparatus(e.g., spaced apart from the premise of the customer and connected tothe electric grid or adjacent the electric grid device that is connectedto the electric grid).

In various embodiments, regulating the voltage level may includeadjusting the voltage level supplied to the premise of the customerindependently of adjustments for any other premise of any other customerof the electric utility. In some embodiments, the method may includereceiving, via the communications circuitry, a user input providing acommand to hold the voltage level constant (or, alternatively, a commandto hold the voltage level within a predetermined voltage range), wherethe apparatus is spaced apart from (e.g., downstream from) adistribution transformer that serves the premise of the customer, andwhere regulating the voltage level includes holding the voltage levelconstant as long as the voltage level is within up to +/−10% of anincoming voltage from the distribution transformer (or, alternatively,holding the voltage level within the predetermined voltage range), inresponse to receiving the user input.

According to various embodiments, the method may include receiving, viathe communications circuitry, a user input providing a command to adjustthe voltage level, where regulating the voltage level includes adjustingthe voltage level in response to the user input. Moreover, in someembodiments, measuring the usage of electricity may include measuringthe usage of electricity while bypassing use of the power electronicscircuitry and/or the communications circuitry, in response to detectingan error, receiving a bypass command via the communications circuitry,and/or activation of a manual bypass switch of the apparatus.

It is noted that aspects of the present inventive concepts describedwith respect to one embodiment may be incorporated in a differentembodiment although not specifically described relative thereto. Thatis, all embodiments and/or features of any embodiment can be combined inany way and/or combination. Applicants reserve the right to change anyoriginally filed claim or file any new claim accordingly, including theright to be able to amend any originally filed claim to depend fromand/or incorporate any feature of any other claim although notoriginally claimed in that manner. These and other objects and/oraspects of the present inventive concepts are explained in detail below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which form a part of the specification,illustrate various embodiments of the present inventive concepts. Thedrawings and description together serve to fully explain embodiments ofthe present inventive concepts.

FIG. 1A is a schematic illustration of a premise energy router that isadjacent a premise of a customer of an electric utility, according tovarious embodiments.

FIG. 1B is a block diagram of the premise energy router of FIG. 1A,according to various embodiments.

FIG. 1C is a block diagram of a communication node (or of communicationscircuitry of the premise energy router) of FIG. 1A, according to variousembodiments.

FIG. 1D is a block diagram that illustrates details of an exampleprocessor and memory that may be used in accordance with variousembodiments.

FIGS. 2A-2E are flowcharts illustrating operations of the premise energyrouter of FIG. 1A, according to various embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Specific example embodiments of the present inventive concepts now willbe described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The presentinventive concepts may, however, be embodied in a variety of differentforms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments setforth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that thisdisclosure will be thorough and complete and will fully convey the scopeof the present inventive concepts to those skilled in the art. In thedrawings, like designations refer to like elements. It will beunderstood that when an element is referred to as being “connected,”“coupled,” or “responsive” to another element, it can be directlyconnected, coupled or responsive to the other element or interveningelements may be present. Furthermore, “connected,” “coupled,” or“responsive” as used herein may include wirelessly connected, coupled,or responsive.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the presentinventive concepts. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and“the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless expresslystated otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms“includes,” “comprises,” “including,” and/or “comprising,” when used inthis specification, specify the presence of stated features, steps,operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude thepresence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations,elements, components, and/or groups thereof. As used herein, the term“and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of theassociated listed items. The symbol “/” is also used as a shorthandnotation for “and/or.”

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientificterms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by oneof ordinary skill in the art to which these inventive concepts belong.It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined incommonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaningthat is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant artand the present disclosure, and will not be interpreted in an idealizedor overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

It will also be understood that although the terms “first” and “second”may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements shouldnot be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguishone element from another element. Thus, a first element could be termeda second element, and similarly, a second element may be termed a firstelement without departing from the teachings of the present inventiveconcepts.

Example embodiments of the present inventive concepts may be embodied asnodes, devices, apparatuses, and methods. Accordingly, exampleembodiments of the present inventive concepts may be embodied inhardware and/or in software (including firmware, resident software,micro-code, etc.). Furthermore, example embodiments of the presentinventive concepts may take the form of a computer program productcomprising a non-transitory computer-usable or computer-readable storagemedium having computer-usable or computer-readable program code embodiedin the medium for use by or in connection with an instruction executionsystem. In the context of this document, a computer-usable orcomputer-readable medium may be any medium that can contain, store,communicate, or transport the program for use by or in connection withthe instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

The computer-usable or computer-readable medium may be, for example butnot limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic,infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device. More specificexamples (a nonexhaustive list) of the computer-readable medium wouldinclude the following: an electrical connection having one or morewires, a portable computer diskette, a random access memory (RAM), aread-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROMor Flash memory), an optical fiber, and a portable compact discread-only memory (CD-ROM). Note that the computer-usable orcomputer-readable medium could even be paper or another suitable mediumupon which the program is printed, as the program can be electronicallycaptured, via, for instance, optical scanning of the paper or othermedium, then compiled, interpreted, or otherwise processed in a suitablemanner, if necessary, and then stored in a computer memory.

Example embodiments of the present inventive concepts are describedherein with reference to flowchart and/or block diagram illustrations.It will be understood that each block of the flowchart and/or blockdiagram illustrations, and combinations of blocks in the flowchartand/or block diagram illustrations, may be implemented by computerprogram instructions and/or hardware operations. These computer programinstructions may be provided to a processor of a general purposecomputer, a special purpose computer, or other programmable dataprocessing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions,which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmabledata processing apparatus, create means and/or circuits for implementingthe functions specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block orblocks.

These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computerusable or computer-readable memory that may direct a computer or otherprogrammable data processing apparatus to function in a particularmanner, such that the instructions stored in the computer usable orcomputer-readable memory produce an article of manufacture includinginstructions that implement the functions specified in the flowchartand/or block diagram block or blocks.

The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer orother programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series ofoperational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmableapparatus to produce a computer implemented process such that theinstructions that execute on the computer or other programmableapparatus provide steps for implementing the functions specified in theflowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.

Although electric utility meters may be useful for measuring electricityusage by a customer of an electric utility, the communications andpower-regulation functionality of electric utility meters may be limitedor nonexistent. Various embodiments described herein, however, mayreplace an electric utility meter (e.g., a standalone/dedicated electricutility meter or any other device with electric utility meterfunctionality) with a premise energy router that includes powerelectronics for voltage regulation and/or Direct Current (DC) power anda communications platform that can provide communications both to apremise of a customer of an electric utility and to an electric grid.Accordingly, the power electronics and communications platform may beattached to the outside of the customer premise rather than upstream(e.g., at a substation or distribution transformer) from the customerpremise. Moreover, the power electronics may use voltages of 120/240Volts and may provide finer control/adjustment of voltages supplied tothe customer premise.

Referring now to FIG. 1A, a schematic illustration is provided of apremise energy router PER that is adjacent a premise 120 of a customerof an electric utility, according to various embodiments. For example,the customer premise 120 may be a house, apartment, office, or otherbuilding, location, or structure, for which an electric utility metercould be provided for the customer. A customer premise 120 may thus be astructure such as a billboard, as well as a home or a business.Accordingly, the term “premise,” as used herein, may be interchangeablewith the term “premises,” in that either term may be used herein torefer to a building, part of a building, or other structure for which anelectric utility meter may be provided.

The premise energy router PER may provide electricity from an electricgrid 100 to at least one device or appliance that is at the customerpremise 120, and may measure electricity usage at the customer premise120. For example, at least one appliance A may be at the customerpremise 120 and be powered by the electric grid 100 through the premiseenergy router PER. An appliance A may be a refrigerator, dishwasher,laundry machine, oven, or any other large machine that uses electricityto perform, for example, cooking, cleaning, or food preservationfunctions in a household, institutional, commercial, or industrialsetting. Although FIG. 1A illustrates one appliance A, in someembodiments, two, three, four, five, or more appliances may be at thecustomer premise 120.

Additionally or alternatively to the appliance(s) A, various devicesthat use electricity may be at the customer premise 120 and may beconnected to the premise energy router PER. For example, consumerelectronics and heating/cooling devices and/or systems may be at thecustomer premise 120. Moreover, in some embodiments, the customerpremise 120 may be a billboard, and the electric grid 100 may providepower for lights or an electronic display of the billboard.

Additionally or alternatively, at least one DC device D may optionallybe at the customer premise 120 and connected to the premise energyrouter PER. For example, the DC device(s) D may include an electricvehicle charging station, a Light Emitting Diode (LED) lighting system,or any other DC device.

Moreover, the premise energy router PER may communicate with multiplecommunication networks 105, 115. For example, the premise energy routerPER may communicate with the appliance(s) A, the DC device(s) D, and/oranother device that is at the customer premise 120, via thecommunication network 105. Additionally, the premise energy router PERmay communicate with an electric utility substation 140 (which includesone or more transformers T), a communication node C, an electric griddevice E including functionality of a communication node C, and/or ahead end system H of an electric utility data center 130, via thecommunication network 115.

One or more communication nodes C may communicate with one or moreelectric grid devices E that are connected to the electric grid 100,using wireless communications (e.g., 3G/LTE, other cellular, WiFi, etc.)or wired communications (e.g., Power Line Carrier (PLC), Ethernet,serial, Universal Serial Bus (USB), etc.). An electric grid device E maybe, for example, an electric utility meter, a transformer, a light(e.g., a street light), an electric grid control device, an electricgrid protection device, a recloser, a line sensor, a weather sensor, anAdvanced Metering infrastructure (AMI) device, an analog or digitalsensor connected to an electric utility asset, an electric generator, anelectric turbine, an electric boiler, an electric vehicle, a homeappliance, a battery storage device, a capacitor device, a solar powerdevice, a smart generation device, an intelligent switching device, anemission monitoring device, or a voltage regulator.

Moreover, one or more of the communication nodes C may communicate withthe head end system H of the electric utility data center 130 via thecommunication network 115. The communication network 115 may include oneor more wireless or wired communication networks, such as a local areanetwork (e.g., Ethernet or WiFi) or a Wide Area Network (e.g., acellular network, Ethernet, or a fiber (such as fiber-optic) network).

A distribution transformer DT may control a voltage level of power thatis transmitted to the premise energy router PER. In particular, thedistribution transformer DT serves the customer premise 120 and may bethe closest transformer of the electric grid 100 to the customer premise120. The distribution transformer DT may be underground, mounted on aconcrete pad, mounted on a utility pole, or otherwise fixed at alocation that is upstream and spaced apart from the premise energyrouter PER. A communication node C may be adjacent (e.g., attached to)the distribution transformer DT and may communicate with the premiseenergy router PER via the communication network 115. Alternatively,functionality of the communication node C may be integrated with thedistribution transformer DT.

By exchanging information with the distribution transformer DT and/oranother transformer that is upstream from the premise energy router PER,the premise energy router PER and the transformer(s) can compare/matchcharacteristics to improve power delivery and security. For example, theexchange of information may allow transformers to detect theft of thepremise energy router PER and/or to monitor power phase data of thepremise energy router PER.

A single distribution transformer DT may provide power to one or morecustomers in a given area. For example, in an urban area, a plurality ofhomes may be fed off of a single distribution transformer DT. Ruraldistribution, on the other hand, may use one distribution transformer DTper customer. Moreover, a large commercial or industrial complex mayrely on multiple distribution transformers DT.

A distribution transformer DT has a low voltage secondary (e.g., output)side that distributes power to one or more customers. For example, inthe United States, the low voltage secondary side of the distributiontransformer DT may be configured for a 240/120-Volt system, and threewires (including one neutral wire) may be fed from the low voltagesecondary side to the premise energy router PER.

In some embodiments, the premise energy router PER may providepeer-to-peer communications with a communication node C. For example, acommunication node C may be integrated inside the premise energy routerPER and may provide peer-to-peer communications with a communicationnode C that is inside the customer premise 120, and/or with acommunication node C that is upstream from the premise energy routerPER.

Referring now to FIG. 1B, a block diagram is provided of the premiseenergy router PER of FIG. 1A, according to various embodiments. A lowvoltage secondary service connection 107 of the distribution transformerDT is input to the premise energy router PER. Although the low voltagesecondary service connection 107 is illustrated as a single wire forconvenience, the inventive entity appreciates that three wires(including one neutral wire) may be used. In some embodiments, the lowvoltage secondary service connection 107 may be configured for a240/120-Volt system, and may be input to electric utility metercircuitry 101 of the premise energy router PER. Moreover, in someembodiments, the customer premise 120 may be a commercial or industrialcustomer premise, and the low voltage secondary service connection 107may use a higher voltage than 240 Volts (e.g., 277/480 Volts, forcommercial/industrial applications). Accordingly, although the premiseenergy router PER may be a single-phase device for residentialapplications, the inventive entity appreciates that the premise energyrouter PER may optionally be used at higher voltages than 120/240 Voltsfor three-phase applications.

The electric utility meter circuitry 101 of the premise energy routerPER includes hardware and/or software configured to perform thefunctionality of an electric utility meter. Accordingly, the premiseenergy router PER may replace an electric utility meter. As an example,the customer premise 120 may be a house of a customer, and the premiseenergy router PER may be mounted on the side of the house to replace anelectric utility meter that had been mounted on the side of the house.The electric utility meter circuitry 101 of the premise energy routerPER may thus be configured to measure electricity usage (e.g., tomeasure Alternating Current (AC) and/or Direct Current (DC) usage inkilowatt-hours (kWh)) by the customer at the customer premise 120. Inparticular, the usage measured may be usage of electricity that issupplied by a specific electric utility (e.g., the electric utility thatowns the premise energy router PER) to the customer premise 120.

As the premise energy router PER is not a customer-owned device, it maybe separate from a breaker box/load center and may provide moreaccess/control to the electric utility that owns it than would acustomer-owned device. In some embodiments, however, the premise energyrouter PER may optionally be used as a circuit breaker. Moreover, thepremise energy router PER, which may be on the outside of a customer'shome, may be separate from coaxial lines to the home. Additionally oralternatively, the premise energy router PER may be used as aphotovoltaic (PV) inverter and/or a battery charger, and may thusreplace an existing PV inverter or battery charger at the customerpremise 120. In some embodiments, when the premise energy router PER isoperating in an inverter mode for PVs, a user may change the mode ofoperation (e.g., among modes such as maximum generation limit function,fixed power factor, intelligent Volt-VAR function, Volt-Watt function,frequency-Watt function, etc.).

Referring still to FIG. 1B, the premise energy router PER includes powerelectronics circuitry 102 and communications circuitry 103. For example,the power electronics circuitry 102 may use 120/240 Volts provided fromthe distribution transformer DT by the low voltage secondary serviceconnection 107. In particular, the power electronics circuitry 102 maybe low voltage power electronics circuitry that uses 600 Volts or lower,including 120/240 Volts (as well as 208, 277, 480, or 600 Volts, forexample). The inventive entity appreciates that the voltage regulatedmay be AC and/or DC. Moreover, in some embodiments, the electric utilitymeter circuitry 101 may be referred to as meter metrology, and theelectric utility meter circuitry 101 and/or the power electronicscircuitry 102 may be configured to measure phasor measurement unitsand/or voltage levels, to perform waveform pattern recognition, tomonitor AC and DC load behavior, to perform condition-based maintenanceand risk assessment of assets, and/or to provide time-synchronizationfunctionality. For example, the electric utility meter circuitry 101and/or the power electronics circuitry 102 may be configured to providea synchrophasor that measures high order harmonics, provides a cleanwaveform, and/or re-synchronizes to an AC line. Additionally oralternatively, the power electronics circuitry 102 may be configured toregulate gain, power factor, voltage harmonic levels, and currentharmonic levels, and/or to provide a DC power source. For example, thepower electronics circuitry 102 may be configured to cancel current andvoltage harmonics, and/or to balance phases.

In one example, the power electronics circuitry 102 may be configured toregulate a voltage level of 600 Volts or lower that is provided to thecustomer premise 120 via a connection 104. For embodiments in which thecustomer premise 120 is a home of the customer, the load at theconnection 104 may be between 0 Volt-Amperes and 15,000 Volt-Amperes.Accordingly, the electric utility meter circuitry 101 may, in someembodiments, be configured to operate with a load from the customerpremise 120 of between 0 Volt-Amperes and 15,000 Volt-Amperes. In otherwords, the power rating for the premise energy router PER may range from0 Volt-Amperes to 15,000 Volt-Amperes. In some higher-power embodiments(e.g., three-phase applications), however, the range may extend above15,000 Volt-Amperes. Also, the load current may be sinusoidal, 60 Hertz.In general, in comparison with the premise energy router PER, thesubstation 140 and the distribution transformer DT may handle muchlarger loads (e.g., 50,000 Volt-Amperes or higher).

Moreover, in some embodiments, the power electronics circuitry 102 mayinclude a DC bus 112, which may also be referred to as a DC port. The DCbus 112 may be configured to provide a DC power source to the customerpremise 120. For example, the DC bus 112 may be a 400-Volt DC bus. Asanother example, the DC bus 112 may be a 1,000-Volt DC bus. Theinventive entity appreciates, however, that the DC bus 112 may provide aDC voltage output anywhere in the range of 5-1,000 Volts, or even above1,000 Volts. In some embodiments, the power electronics circuitry 102may include power output circuitry connected to the DC bus 112 andconfigured to convert a DC output of a photovoltaic (PV) solar panelinto a utility frequency Alternating Current (AC) that can be fed into acommercial electrical grid (e.g., the electric grid 100) or used by alocal, off-grid electrical network. The inventive entity appreciatesthat the DC bus 112 may optionally provide a plurality of DC ports(e.g., a plurality of DC ports providing different DC voltage levels).In other words, although FIG. 1B illustrates one DC bus 112, a pluralityof DC buses 112 may optionally be included in the premise energy routerPER. Moreover, the inventive entity appreciates that the DC bus 112 mayinclude a plurality of stages, including an AC/DC stage, a DC/DC stage,and/or a DC/AC stage.

Additionally or alternatively, the power electronics circuitry 102 maybe configured to convert AC power received from the low voltagesecondary service connection 107 into DC power and to provide the DCpower to one or more DC devices D via the DC bus 112. In someembodiments, the power electronics circuitry 102 may include both (i)AC-to-DC inverter circuitry (e.g., for converting AC into DC andproviding DC from the DC bus 112 to a DC load) and (ii) DC-to-ACinverter circuitry (e.g., for converting DC from a solar device or abattery storage into AC). Moreover, in some embodiments, the powerelectronics circuitry 102 of the premise energy router PER may include aDC-to-DC converter (or a plurality of DC-to-DC converters) that reducesthe 400 Volts to a lower DC voltage level that can be provided into thecustomer's home. The DC-to-DC converter may have level-shift capabilityand/or may be a buck-boost converter. Additionally or alternatively,inverter circuitry of the power electronics circuitry 102 may beconfigured to provide voltage and/or current source modes, and/or toprovide either an isolated power supply or a non-isolated power supply.

The premise energy router PER may also include an electronic bypass 106that bypasses the power electronics circuitry 102 and the communicationscircuitry 103. Accordingly, the premise energy router PER may use theelectronic bypass 106 to operate the meter circuitry 101 withoutoperating the power electronics circuitry 102 and the communicationscircuitry 103. Moreover, the premise energy router PER may optionallyinclude a manual switch SW (e.g., on an external surface thereof) thatbypasses the power electronics circuitry 102 and the communicationscircuitry 103. The premise energy router PER may include an externalvisual indicator, such as a display screen and/or an LED, to indicatethat a bypass operation is occurring.

The electronic bypass 106 and/or manual switch SW help to reduce theimpact to a customer of a problem with the power electronics circuitry102 and/or the communications circuitry 103. For example, the powerelectronics circuitry 102 may sense an open neutral situation (or anyother power anomaly/error) and responsively trigger a bypass and providecommunications upstream to notify the electric utility of the openneutral situation. In some embodiments, the bypass may keep the customerfrom losing power. Moreover, in some embodiments, the electronic bypass106 may be integrated within the power electronics circuitry 102, and/ora remote disconnect switch may be provided within the meter circuitry101. Similarly, the communications circuitry 103 and/or the metercircuitry 101 may be integrated within the power electronics circuitry102.

Referring now to FIG. 1C, a block diagram is provided of thecommunications circuitry 103 of the premise energy router PER of FIGS.1A and 1B (or of a communication node C of FIG. 1A), according tovarious embodiments. The communications circuitry 103 (or thecommunication node C) may include a processor 150, a network interface160, and a memory 170. The processor 150 may be coupled to the networkinterface 160. The processor 150 may be configured to communicate withdevices at the customer premise 120, electric grid devices E,communication nodes C, the substation 140, and/or the electric utilitydata center 130 via the network interface 160.

For example, the network interface 160 may include one or more wirelessinterfaces 161 (e.g., 3G/LTE, other cellular, WiFi, Global PositioningSystem (GPS) interfaces, etc.) and one or more physical interfaces 162(e.g., Ethernet, serial, USB interfaces, etc.). Moreover, the networkinterface 160 may optionally include one or more power line interfaces163 (e.g., Low Voltage (LV) or Mid Voltage (MV) PLC).

Accordingly, the premise energy router PER may, in some embodiments,have multiple integrated communications options. For example, thepremise energy router PER may provide PLC, WiFi, Zigbee, Z-wavecommunications, or other communications via the network interface 160into the customer premise 120 (e.g., a customer's home), and may providecellular communications or other communications to the electric grid100. As an example, the premise energy router PER may communicate withsmart appliances and demand response devices (e.g., devices that reduceload by turning off appliances, air conditioning, etc.) at the customerpremise 120. By sharing data from inside the customer premise 120 withthe premise energy router PER, the customer can improve the efficiencyof power delivery by the premise energy router. In some embodiments, thepremise energy router PER may optionally be used to control smartdevices at the customer premise 120, and may thus reduce the totalenergy consumption at the customer premise 120.

Moreover, the premise energy router PER may have a modular design thatallows the premise energy router PER to use a variety of communicationstechnologies, and to therefore not be limited exclusively to onecommunications technology, such as PLC communications. The premiseenergy router PER may be referred to as having a modular design becausethe meter circuitry 101, the power electronics circuitry 102, and/or thecommunications circuitry 103 may be integrated circuits provided onrespective plug-and-play cards that can be easily added to and removedfrom (e.g., removed and replaced with a new and/or different cardproviding improved/different functionality). As an example, thecommunications circuitry 103 may include a PLC card that may be replacedwith or supplemented by a card that provides WiFi communications.Various other types of cards may also be used, including voltageinverter cards and rectifier cards, among other types of cards that aremodular/interchangeable from one premise energy router PER to the next.

Referring still to FIG. 1C, the memory 170 may be coupled to theprocessor 150. The memory 170 may also store instructions/algorithmsused by the processor 150. For example, the memory 170 of the premiseenergy router PER may include one or more algorithms thatimprove/optimize power flow to the customer premise 120. Using suchalgorithms, the premise energy router PER may maintain a datalog/history for the meter circuitry 101, the power electronics circuitry102, and/or the communications circuitry 103. Moreover, the premiseenergy router PER may use such algorithms to enable an override ofpredetermined set points, such as to enable an override of a 120/240Volt set point to thereby reduce the output voltage below 120/240 Volts.Additionally or alternatively, the premise energy router PER may usesuch algorithms to provide notification of power/communications errorsand notification of use of the bypass state.

The communications circuitry 103 (or the communication node C) mayinclude core hardware components such as a power supply, 10 MHz orhigher speed processor(s), and 1 Megabyte (MB) or more of RAM. Because apremise energy router PER includes integrated processor 150 and memory170 capability, the premise energy router PER can move/adjust voltagelevels, Volt-Amperes Reactive (VARs), etc. The integrated processor 150and memory 170 capability may be referred to as an integrateddistributed intelligence platform.

The communications circuitry 103 (or the communication node C) mayinclude core applications, such as CPU/memory/OS managementapplications, port/device drivers, router/Internet Protocol (IP)services, network management services, basic protocol support, SCADA,custom Application Programming Interface (API)/applications, and devicesecurity services. Moreover, the communications circuitry 103 (or thecommunication node C) may include virtual applications, such as avirtual machine (e.g., a Java Virtual Machine), message bus(es), messagebroker(s), protocol adapters, mini-SCADA, open-standards API, andthird-party applications (e.g., security/analytics applications). Forexample, the communications circuitry 103 may support DistributedNetwork Protocol (DNP) (e.g., DNP 3.0), Modbus, and Message QueueTelemetry Transport (MQTT) protocols. The core applications may use suchsoftware as C++/Linux, and the virtual applications may use suchsoftware as Java/Linux.

Referring now to FIG. 1D, a block diagram is provided that illustratesdetails of an example processor 150 and memory 170 of the communicationscircuitry 103 (or of a communication node C) that may be used inaccordance with various embodiments. The processor 150 communicates withthe memory 170 via an address/data bus 180. The processor 150 may be,for example, a commercially available or custom microprocessor.Moreover, the processor 150 may include multiple processors. The memory170 is representative of the overall hierarchy of memory devicescontaining the software and data used to implement various functions ofthe communications circuitry 103 or other circuitry of the premiseenergy router PER (or of a communication node C) as described herein.The memory 170 may include, but is not limited to, the following typesof devices: cache, ROM, PROM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash, Static RAM (SRAM),and Dynamic RAM (DRAM).

As shown in FIG. 1D, the memory 170 may hold various categories ofsoftware and data, such as an operating system 173. The operating system173 controls operations of the communications circuitry 103 or othercircuitry of the premise energy router PER (or of a communication nodeC). In particular, the operating system 173 may manage the resources ofthe communications circuitry 103 or other circuitry of the premiseenergy router PER (or of a communication node C) and may coordinateexecution of various programs by the processor 150.

Referring now to FIGS. 2A-2E, flowcharts are provided illustratingoperations of the premise energy router PER of FIG. 1A, according tovarious embodiments. In particular, referring to FIG. 2A, operations ofan apparatus (e.g., the premise energy router PER) connected between autility secondary service 107 of an electric utility and a wiringconnection 104 of a customer at a premise 120 of the customer areprovided. For example, operations of the premise energy router PERinclude measuring (Block 210), using the electric utility metercircuitry 101, usage of electricity supplied by the electric utility tothe premise 120 of the customer of the electric utility. As an example,the operations of Block 210 may include performing measurements inkilowatt hours or in other units of measurement of energy used.Moreover, the inventive entity appreciates that the power electronicscircuitry 102 may be unmetered so that it does not affect a customer'senergy consumption. For example, referring again to FIG. 1B, the premiseenergy router PER may include a bus bar that is independently connectedbetween the utility secondary service 107 of the electric utility andeach of the electric utility meter circuitry 101 and the powerelectronics circuitry 102.

Referring still to FIG. 2A, operations of the premise energy router PERinclude regulating (Block 220), using the power electronics circuitry102, a voltage level supplied to the premise 120 of the customer.Moreover, operations of the premise energy router PER include providing(Block 230) communications, using the communications circuitry 103, witha first electronic device of the customer that is at the premise 120 ofthe customer and with a second electronic device that is upstream fromthe premise energy router PER. For example, the second electronic devicemay be spaced apart from the premise 120 of the customer and (a)connected to the electric grid 100 or (b) adjacent an electric griddevice E or transformer T/DT that is connected to the electric grid 100.

The first electronic device of the customer may be an appliance A or aDC device D that is at (e.g., on or within) the customer premise 120 andthat is configured to communicate with the premise energy router PER viathe communication network 105. Alternatively, the first electronicdevice of the customer may be a communication node C that corresponds to(and is adjacent/attached to) the appliance A or device D, or may be anyother device that is configured to communicate (e.g., using thecircuitry illustrated in FIG. 1C) with the premise energy router PER viathe communication network 105. Moreover, the second electronic devicemay be (a) the distribution transformer DT, (b) the substation 140, (c)an electric grid device E, (d) the electric utility data center 130, or(e) a communication node C corresponding to any one of (a)-(d).

The communications of the premise energy router PER with the first andsecond electronic devices may include the same data and/or differentdata. For example, the premise energy router PER could send the samedata to the electric grid 100 and to the customer. Because the premiseenergy router PER may be communications agnostic, it may be ablecommunicate with a device inside the customer premise 120 and/or adevice upstream from the premise energy router PER and the customerpremise 120 and on the electric grid 100, using the same or differentcommunications technologies, and share information with each device asrequired. All communications may be secured through any of varioustelecommunications mediums.

As illustrated in Block 215, the operations of Blocks 220 and 230 may,in some embodiments, be conditioned upon the absence of detecting anerror (e.g., any type of power or communications anomaly), the absenceof receiving an electronic bypass command (e.g., at the electronicbypass circuitry 106), and/or the absence of activation of the manualbypass switch SW of the premise energy router PER. Accordingly,operations of measuring (Block 210) the usage of electricity may includemeasuring the usage of electricity while bypassing use of the powerelectronics circuitry 102 and/or the communications circuitry 103, inresponse to detecting an error, receiving a bypass command via thecommunications circuitry 103, and/or activation of the manual bypassswitch SW. If an error is detected, then the premise energy router PERmay use its memory 170 to log the error and its network interface 160 tocommunicate the error into the customer premise 120 and/or upstream tothe electric grid 100.

Moreover, the inventive entity appreciates that the order of Blocks210-230 may be rearranged. For example, the premise energy router PERmay provide (Block 230) communications before regulating (Block 220) thevoltage level. As an example, if the premise energy router PER isexperiencing a high load, then the premise energy router PER may send anotification of the high load upstream and may receive a remotesignal/command (that is triggered by the notification) to reduce thevoltage output. In response to the remote signal/command, the premiseenergy router PER may reduce the voltage, and thereby reduce its load.

Accordingly, adjustments (e.g., regulation) may be performed/determinedremotely and communicated via a communications protocol used by thepremise energy router PER. For example, an adjustment may bedetermined/commanded by a localized communication node C in the field orat a centralized operations center, such as the utility data center 130including the head end H. As an example, a user at the utility datacenter 130 may use a secure Web interface to conduct/command theadjustment. Additionally or alternatively to voltage regulation,adjustments may include power factor adjustments such as increasing thepower factor.

Referring to FIG. 2B, operations of the premise energy router PER mayinclude receiving (Block 200) a user input providing a command to adjustthe voltage level supplied to the premise 120 of the customer. Moreover,operations of regulating (Block 220) the voltage level may includeadjusting (Block 220′) the voltage level in response to the user input.For example, a user (e.g., the customer or an electric utility) mayremotely enter the user input into an electronic device and thentransmit the user input to the premise energy router PER via thecommunication network 105 or the communication network 115. As anexample, the user or the utility may remotely provide an input toincrease or decrease the voltage level. In some embodiments, the userinput may specify a particular voltage level (or a particular voltagerange) selected by the user.

Referring to FIG. 2C, operations of the premise energy router PER mayinclude receiving (Block 200′) a user input providing a command to holdconstant the voltage level supplied to the premise 120 of the customer.Alternatively, the user input may provide a command to hold the voltagelevel within a desired/predetermined range of voltages. For example, theuser may provide a command to hold the voltage level anywhere within thelimits allowed by regulatory requirements (e.g., anywhere within 114-126Volts) or anywhere within a user-specified voltage range (e.g., 117-122Volts, etc.) that is narrower than the range allowed by regulatoryrequirements. The user input of Block 200′ may be received in the samemanner as described with respect to the user input of Block 200, or maybe received in a similar manner.

Moreover, operations of regulating (Block 220, FIG. 2A) the voltagelevel may include holding (Block 220A) the output voltage level of thepremise energy router PER constant as long as the desired/selected(e.g., user-selected) voltage level is within a predetermined percentagerange of the input voltage level supplied from the distributiontransformer DT to the premise energy router PER. For example, if theinput voltage coming into the premise energy router PER from a utilitytransformer (e.g., the distribution transformer DT) is 125 Volts, thenthe premise energy router PER can adjust that input voltage by up to tenpercent (i.e., up to +/−10%) of the value of that input voltage.Accordingly, the premise energy router PER can take that input voltageof 125 Volts and increase it by up to 10%, thus providing an outputvoltage as high as 137.5 Volts, or decrease the input voltage by up to−10%, thus providing an output voltage as low as 112.5 Volts. As analternative to holding the output voltage level constant, operations ofregulating (Block 220, FIG. 2A) the voltage level may include holding(Block 220A) the output voltage level of the premise energy router PERwithin a desired/predetermined voltage range (e.g., within 114-126Volts, 117-122 Volts, etc.), in response to a command to hold the outputvoltage level within the voltage range.

In some embodiments, however, the electric utility providing the outputvoltage, may be bound to keep the output voltage within tariff limits orother regulatory requirements, which can vary by state. In NorthCarolina, for example, the electric utility may be limited to +/−5%adjustments (instead of the wider +/−10% range that the premise energyrouter PER may be capable of) for residential electric utility services.As an example, if the input voltage to the premise energy router PER is120 Volts, then the electric utility may be limited in North Carolina to126 Volts and 114 Volts as upper and lower output voltage limits,respectively.

Referring still to FIG. 2C, Block 216 illustrates that the premiseenergy router PER may be capable of voltage adjustments of up to +/−10%.If the premise energy router PER is allowed (e.g., by state regulatoryrequirements) to use +/−5% of its full +/−10% range, if the distributiontransformer DT supplies 120 Volts to the premise energy router PER, andif the user provides a user input to hold the voltage level constant at115 Volts, then the power electronics circuitry 102 of the premiseenergy router PER will hold (Block 220A) the voltage level constant at115 Volts because 115 Volts is within +/−5% of 120 Volts.

If, on the other hand, the distribution transformer DT supplies 120Volts to the premise energy router PER, and if the user provides a userinput to hold the voltage level constant at 105 Volts, then the powerelectronics circuitry 102 of the premise energy router PER will regulate(Block 220B) the voltage level to be as close to 105 Volts as possible.The power electronics circuitry 102 (FIG. 1B), however, may not be ableto hold the voltage level at 105 Volts because 105 Volts is more than+/−10% (and significantly more than +/−5%) of 120 Volts.

In some embodiments, the user input provided in Block 200′ may specify aparticular/discrete output voltage (e.g., 105 Volts, 115 Volts, oranother value), which may be different from the input voltage level thatis currently being supplied from the distribution transformer DT to thepremise energy router PER, to hold constant. Alternatively, the userinput may request to hold the output voltage constant as the currentinput voltage level that is being supplied to the premise energy routerPER, without requiring the user to change the voltage level or tootherwise specify a value of the voltage level. Moreover, theillustration in Blocks 200′, 216, and 220A of FIG. 2C of holding theoutput voltage level constant as long as the output voltage leveldesired/selected by the user is within up to +/−10% of the incomingvoltage from the distribution transformer DT includes any circumstancein which the percentage range is equal to or lower than 10%, includinglower percentage ranges, such as 5%, that may be required to comply withregulatory requirements. For example, in some embodiments, to complywith regulatory requirements, the power electronics circuitry 102 mayhold the output voltage level supplied by the premise energy router PERconstant as long as the output voltage level desired/selected by theuser is within +/−5% of the incoming voltage from the distributiontransformer DT. The inventive entity appreciates, however, that theoperations of Blocks 216 and 220B may optionally be omitted when theuser input is a command to hold the voltage level within a voltage range(rather than to hold the voltage level constant).

Accordingly, the premise energy router PER can operateautonomously/dynamically in that it can use the power electronicscircuitry 102 (FIG. 1B) to maintain an exact voltage level as long asthe incoming voltage is within a certain percentage range of the voltagesetting. Moreover, in some embodiments, the premise energy router PERcan be controlled remotely (e.g., to reduce the voltage level, to holdit constant at the current level, or to hold it within a voltage range)via an individual user input/setting, and the premise energy router PERmay control the voltage level without further user input beyond theindividual user input/setting. When controlling the voltage level, thepremise energy router PER can make decisions regarding the total load onthe premise energy router PER rather than having to make multipledecisions for respective individual branches of the electric grid 100.By finely controlling the power to the customer premise 120, the premiseenergy router PER can reduce power quality disruptions, such as lightsflickering in a customer's home when an air conditioning unit of thehome turns on.

Referring to FIG. 2D, operations of regulating (Block 220, FIG. 2A) thevoltage level may include adjusting (Block 220D) the voltage levelsupplied to the premise 120 of the customer independently of adjustmentsfor any other premise of any other customer of the electric utility. Inother words, adjusting the voltage level supplied the premise 120 of thecustomer will not adjust the voltage level supplied to any other premiseof any other customer, nor will an adjustment to the voltage levelsupplied to any other premise of any other customer adjust the voltagelevel supplied to the premise 120 of the customer. Rather, the powerelectronics circuitry 102 (FIG. 1B) of the premise energy router PER isconfigured to supply a regulated/adjusted voltage level exclusively tothe customer premise 120.

Additionally or alternatively, the power electronics circuitry 102 (FIG.1B) may be configured to regulate Volt-Amperes Reactive (VARs) providedto the customer premise 120. For example, additionally or alternativelyto adjusting (Block 220D) the voltage level independently of adjustmentsfor any other premise, the power electronics circuitry 102 may beconfigured to regulate VARs provided to the customer premise 120independently of regulating VARs for any other premise. In particular,the power electronics circuitry 102 may be configured to regulate theVARs that are output from the premise energy router PER within up tofive percent (i.e., up to +/−5%) of a value input to the premise energyrouter PER, and to supply the regulated/adjusted VARs exclusively to thecustomer premise 120. In some embodiments, the VARs may be adjusted byup to +/−10% rather than +/−5%. Moreover, the inventive entityappreciates that the VARs and the voltage level may be independently (ofeach other) adjusted by the premise energy router PER. Byinserting/regulating VARs, the premise energy router PER can improve thestability of power provided to the customer premise 120.

Referring to FIG. 2E, operations of providing (Block 230) communicationsmay include providing (Block 230A) first communications, via a firstcommunications interface, with the first electronic device of thecustomer. The operations may further include providing (Block 230B)second communications, via a second communications interface, with thesecond electronic device that is upstream from the premise energy routerPER (e.g., that is spaced apart from the premise 120 of the customer andis (a) connected to the electric grid 100 or is (b) adjacent an electricgrid device E or transformer T/DT that is connected to the electric grid100). As one example, the premise energy router PER may provide WiFi orPLC communications with the first electronic device that is at thecustomer premise 120, and cellular communications with the secondelectronic device that is upstream from the premise energy router PER.

In some embodiments, a premise energy router PER illustrated in FIGS.1A-1C may connect to an existing house secondary service (e.g., a wiringconnection 104 of the customer) and an existing utility secondaryservice (e.g., the low voltage secondary service connection 107) on thehouse. The premise energy router PER may replace an existing utilitymeter (and may optionally replace a meter base) on the house. Forexample, the premise energy router PER may be mountable on the side ofthe house, and may be no larger than twenty (20) inches wide, twelve(12) inches deep, and twenty-four (24) inches long (in terms of verticalheight). The weight of the premise energy router PER may be forty (40)pounds or lighter (and, in some embodiments, thirty (30) pounds orlighter), such that one person can install the premise energy routerPER.

Moreover, the premise energy router PER may enhance power quality forthe customer and serve as a communications hub between the electric grid100 and the house. The premise energy router PER may be configured forresidential (e.g., one-phase, 120/240 Volts) applications. The premiseenergy router PER may not introduce any magnetic fields, as magneticfields could interfere with telephone, cable, or other communicationsequipment, or with a transformer. The premise energy router PER also maynot introduce harmonics. If the premise energy router PER does introduceharmonics, then it may also be configured to mitigate/eliminate theharmonics.

The present inventive entity appreciates that a premise energy routerPER according to various embodiments described herein can provide powerelectronics that use 120/240 Volts and/or can provide a communicationsplatform, at a customer's premise 120 rather than upstream from thecustomer's premise 120, thus enabling better utilization of upstreamdevices/systems for other tasks. For example, an individual premiseenergy router PER can provide communications both to inside a customer'shome and upstream to an electric grid 100. As an example, a premiseenergy router PER can use operations illustrated in FIGS. 2A-2E toprovide such power electronics and communications functionality. Thepower electronics and/or communications functionality of the premiseenergy router PER may improve analytics/monitoring of devices andappliances A inside the customer's home.

Moreover, the power electronics circuitry 102 of the premise energyrouter PER may provide a 400-Volt DC bus 112 that may provide a DC powersource into the customer's home and/or receive 400-Volt DC inputs. Forexample, in some embodiments, the DC bus 112 may both (a) receive a400-Volt DC input (e.g., from a solar device or a battery storage) and(b) provide a 400-Volt DC output to a DC load (e.g., an electric vehiclecharging station). By receiving DC inputs, the DC bus 112 may acceleratethe use of distributed energy resources (e.g., DC loads such as solarpanels, wind energy devices, battery storage devices, electric vehicles,etc.) because the DC bus 112 can obviate the need for a separateinverter, thus saving customers money. Also, the premise energy routerPER may follow such DC loads closely and may sustain a steady voltagelevel despite environmental factors such as a cloud moving over a solargenerator.

Additionally or alternatively, the operations illustrated in FIGS. 2A-2Ecan use a premise energy router PER to set a voltage and/or VARs for aparticular customer premise 120 independently of settings for othercustomer premises. Accordingly, the premise energy router PER canprovide fine control/adjustments at the particular customer premise 120,rather than upstream coarse adjustments for a group of customerpremises. As an example, a control/adjustment at a distribution linewould affect a plurality of customers, whereas premise energy routers atrespective customer premises enable fine controls/adjustments for aparticular customer premise 120 that are independent ofcontrols/adjustments for other customer premises. Such tighter/finercontrols/adjustments of voltage and/or VARs may help to reduce powerfluctuations. Moreover, active power insertion by the premise energyrouter PER may increase efficiency of the electric grid 100. Forexample, the premise energy router PER may dynamically insert reactivepower (e.g., +/−5,000 VARs) and may achieve unity power factor.

The present inventive entity also appreciates that a premise energyrouter PER according to various embodiments herein may provide utilitymeter functionality. The premise energy router PER may therefore replacean existing utility meter at the location of the existing utility meter.For example, an existing utility meter may be removed, and the premiseenergy router PER may be installed at the location where the utilitymeter had been before it was removed. Also, because the premise energyrouter PER according to various embodiments herein can operateautonomously/dynamically, can reduce a voltage level input to a customerpremise 120, and/or can communicate with smart devices within thecustomer premise 120, the premise energy router PER can conserveelectrical energy. The inventive entity appreciates, however, thatreducing a voltage level input to the customer premise 120 will notnecessarily reduce energy consumption in every instance. Accordingly,the premise energy router PER may increase the voltage level ininstances where reducing the voltage level would undesirably result inan energy consumption increase.

In the specification, various embodiments of the present inventiveconcepts have been disclosed and, although specific terms are employed,they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not forpurposes of limitation. Those skilled in the art will readily appreciatethat many modifications are possible for the disclosed embodimentswithout materially departing from the teachings and advantages of thepresent inventive concepts. The present inventive concepts are definedby the following claims, with equivalents of the claims to be includedtherein.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus comprising: electric utility metercircuitry in the apparatus and configured to measure usage ofelectricity supplied by an electric utility to a premise of a customerof the electric utility; power electronics circuitry in the apparatusand configured to regulate a voltage level supplied to the premise ofthe customer; and communications circuitry in the apparatus andconfigured to provide communications with a first electronic device ofthe customer at the premise of the customer and to providecommunications with a second electronic device that is upstream from theapparatus.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the voltage level thatthe power electronics circuitry is configured to regulate comprises 120Volts and/or 240 Volts.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein theelectric utility meter circuitry is configured to operate with a loadfrom the premise of the customer between 0 Volt-Amperes and 15,000Volt-Amperes.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the power electronicscircuitry comprises a Direct Current (DC) bus configured to interfacewith a DC load and/or a DC power source at the premise of the customer.5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the power electronics circuitrycomprises power inverter circuitry that is configured to convert DCpower received from the DC power source via the DC bus into AlternatingCurrent (AC) power.
 6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the DC buscomprises a 400-Volt DC input port or higher.
 7. The apparatus of claim4, wherein the DC bus comprises a DC output port of a 400-Volt or higherDC power source that is configured to provide DC power to the DC load.8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the power electronics circuitrycomprises power inverter circuitry that is configured to convertAlternating Current (AC) power into DC power for the DC output port. 9.The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communications circuitrycomprises: a first communications interface configured to provide firstcommunications with the first electronic device of the customer; and asecond communications interface configured to provide secondcommunications with the second electronic device that is upstream fromthe apparatus.
 10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the powerelectronics circuitry is configured to adjust the voltage level by up to+/−10%.
 11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the apparatus is spacedapart from a distribution transformer that serves the premise of thecustomer, and wherein the power electronics circuitry is configured toautomatically hold the voltage level constant as long as the voltagelevel is within up to +/−10% of an incoming voltage from thedistribution transformer.
 12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein thevoltage level is derived from a user input that is provided to theapparatus remotely via the communications circuitry.
 13. The apparatusof claim 1, further comprising bypass circuitry configured to bypass thepower electronics circuitry and the communications circuitry, whereinthe apparatus is spaced apart from a circuit breaker box.
 14. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein the power electronics circuitry isconfigured to hold the voltage level within a predetermined voltagerange.
 15. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a bus bar thatis connected to the electric utility meter circuitry and to the powerelectronics circuitry.
 16. A method of operating an apparatus connectedbetween a utility secondary service of an electric utility and a wiringconnection of a customer at a premise of the customer, the methodcomprising: measuring, using electric utility meter circuitry of theapparatus, usage of electricity supplied by the electric utility to thepremise of the customer of the electric utility; regulating, using powerelectronics circuitry of the apparatus, a voltage level supplied to thepremise of the customer; and providing communications, usingcommunications circuitry of the apparatus, with a first electronicdevice of the customer that is at the premise of the customer and with asecond electronic device that is upstream from the apparatus.
 17. Themethod of claim 16, wherein providing the communications comprises:providing first communications, via a first communications interface,with the first electronic device of the customer; and providing secondcommunications, via a second communications interface, with the secondelectronic device that is upstream from the apparatus.
 18. The method ofclaim 16, further comprising: receiving, via the communicationscircuitry, a user input providing a command to hold the voltage levelconstant, wherein the apparatus is spaced apart from a distributiontransformer that serves the premise of the customer, and whereinregulating the voltage level comprises holding the voltage levelconstant as long as the voltage level is within up to +/−10% of anincoming voltage from the distribution transformer, in response toreceiving the user input.
 19. The method of claim 16, furthercomprising: receiving, via the communications circuitry, a user inputproviding a command to hold the voltage level within a predeterminedvoltage range, wherein the apparatus is spaced apart from a distributiontransformer that serves the premise of the customer, and whereinregulating the voltage level comprises holding the voltage level withinthe predetermined voltage range, in response to receiving the userinput.
 20. The method of claim 16, further comprising: receiving, viathe communications circuitry, a user input providing a command to adjustthe voltage level, wherein regulating the voltage level comprisesadjusting the voltage level in response to the user input.
 21. Themethod of claim 16, wherein measuring the usage of electricity comprisesmeasuring the usage of electricity while bypassing use of the powerelectronics circuitry and/or the communications circuitry, in responseto detecting an error, receiving a bypass command via the communicationscircuitry, and/or activation of a manual bypass switch of the apparatus.22. An apparatus comprising: electric utility meter circuitry in theapparatus and configured to measure usage of electricity supplied by anelectric utility to a premise of a customer of the electric utility,wherein the electric utility meter circuitry is configured to operatewith a load from the premise of the customer between 0 Volt-Amperes and15,000 Volt-Amperes; power electronics circuitry in the apparatus andconfigured to regulate a voltage level supplied to the premise of thecustomer, wherein the voltage level that the power electronics circuitryis configured to regulate comprises 120 Volts and/or 240 Volts; andcommunications circuitry in the apparatus and configured to providecommunications with a first electronic device of the customer at thepremise of the customer and to provide communications with a secondelectronic device that is upstream from the apparatus.
 23. A systemcomprising the apparatus of claim 22, the system further comprising adistribution transformer that is spaced apart from the apparatus andthat serves the premise of the customer.